I'm not sure how this is related to the technical issue of not being to just "design" drugs on a computer and have them "printed out." > in his small home labo

I'm not sure how this is related to the technical issue of not being to just "design" drugs on a computer and have them "printed out." > in his small home laboratory. You can certainly work out of a home laboratory, if you so desire. The location is not particularly relevant. But it will definitely cost you a lot more than a laptop and internet would. And even then, what Shulgin did was quite limited by his capital resources. > it seems kind of analogous to what a hacker does vs what an engineer does. Don't forget that he already had a PhD in biochemistry from UC Berkeley. If he had just tried to learn like a "hacker," he would have either bankrupted or killed himself (or killed someone else and ended up in jail). And even then, he got raided by the DEA and fined $25000 (the regulation issue).